Darryn Bonthuys's Reviews
At its best, Rise and Shine is a marvelous reinvention of shooter mechanics wrapped up in puzzle-heavy stages that require some serious grey matter to think through. But most of the time? Rise and Shine’s charm can’t save it from its sadomasochistic formula.
Sometimes inconsistent, other times explosive, Telltale has managed to create a Batman who is more than just the sum of his fists and gadgets. A Batman for the 21st century, whose personal pain not only motivates him but also guides as this final episode of this series reaches a satisfying conclusion.
Steep is pretty to look at it, but it’s also pretty awful to play as breath-taking visuals alone aren't enough to help this extreme sports game from going downhill.
Dead Rising 4 is fun, silly and gleefully absurd in its execution of thousands upon thousands of undead fodder as it aims to make the apocalypse fun again.
Pokémon Sun and Moon may take its sweet time getting you hooked on its battle monster formula, but once they’re in they’re never coming back out again. Even after twenty years of Pokémon games, Game Freak still has a few surprises and tricks up their sleeve with their most vibrant Pokémon game to date.
Darksiders Warmastered is a more than capable upgrade for a game that is almost seven years old. Fortunately, the core gameplay itself is just as satisfying and brutal today as it was in 2010.
If Guardian of Gotham tense atmosphere and hard choices are anything to by in this penultimate episode, then Telltale is on the verge of delivering the definitive Batman story in video game form.
WWE 2K17 isn’t exactly a step forward for the franchise. At best, it’s stuck in the past and completely lacking in any of the features that made 2K’s beast incarnate a strong contender from previous encounters. And that’s the bottom line.
Dragon Ball XenoVerse 2 makes some massive strides towards improving on some of the deep flaws of the original game. It’s just a super-shame that it also forgets to actually add anything to that foundation to help it feel like a true sequel. I’m just Saiyan’ that is.
Agent 47 is back and better than ever. The first season of Hitman has produced the definitive Agent 47 experience in a world of intrigue, espionage and murder. Not only the best Hitman game ever made, but also one of the top contenders for game of the year.
A calm and restrictive level on first glance, episode six of Hitman is teeming with poetic kills, intricacy and intrigue as it sets up a subtle tease of things to come in future seasons for Agent 47.
Batman The Telltale Series Episode 3: New World Order may be a slow burner, but there’s a raging inferno of action and tragedy by the time it finishes as the Dark Knight and Bruce Wayne face threats for all sides.
Batman: Return to Arkham is neither the game that Gotham fanboys deserve or need right now. Not even the dark knight can foil a plot to downgrade the visuals of two video games which defined his legend for a new medium several years ago.
The sixth time is the charm, as WRC 6 finally nails the winning formula for a properly decent rally game that emphasises accessible fun over unforgiving precision. It’s not perfect, but it’s easily the best use of the official FIA World Rally Championship in many a year.
Hitman's purest stealth episode so far is a white-knuckle ride of espionage and action amidst the backdrop of enemy territory, as Agent 47 finally begins to uncover the threads of a season-long conspiracy.
If the Taken King was a statement on just how far Bungie could push the genre with its own ideas, then Rise of Iron is a love letter to the fans who kept Destiny alive. It’s Tenacious D’s Tribute, a gloriously over the top experience that’ll pull fans back in with ease.
It’s definitely aimed at the Bat-fans, but Telltale is busy crafting a superb story starring the dark knight that manages to feel fresh and brutal.
There's a lot to love about ReCore. It's charming, has character and a spark of creativity that hasn't been seen in decades. But the more you play it, the more you'll despise it when yet another technical blunder ruins the experience. After all, you only hurt the ones you love.
I mean…it’s Worms. If you feel like paying full price for this latest entry because you happen to have a filthy love for watching the little fellas massacre each other then you’re sorted. If you’re wondering if you should stick to any of the other 20-odd Worms games that you already own, then Worms W.M.D isn’t going to change your mind easily.
As the sum of its parts, LEGO Dimensions is something special. It's witty, it's fun outside of the box and it boasts enough talent to get you hooked on a gateway drug to acquiring a collection of plastic blocks in the future. It's more than just toys to life, but a combination of physical and digital experiences that blurs the line between the two to create an experience which clicks brilliantly with its concept.